Man Utd v Leeds Utd: Early team news with Red Devils injury blow, expected Whites debuts plus if Matheus Cunha will feature
Man Utd take on Leeds Utd in their first pre-season friendly of the season, this is all the information that you need.
Is there such a thing as a friendly between Manchester United and Leeds United? If Ruben Amorim has got his message across to the players, there shouldn’t be.
The Red Devils’ haven’t been quite as prolific as fans would have wanted them to be in the transfer market so far, however, news of a bid for Emiliano Martinez as well as a deal for Bryan Mbeumo being imminent should off some sort of encouragement.
A new striker remains a priority with United being active in the chase for Hugo Ekitike, but with Christopher Nkunku available for just £35m, Amorim could do well to change tact so that other areas of the squad can be addressed. In particular midfield where a £9m budget move for Wilfred Ndidi is possible whilst Corentin Tolisso of Lyon is also reported to be a target.
As things stand ahead of Saturday’s friendly with Leeds, only Matheus Cunha looks set to make a first appearance in the famous red shirt. The five players who have told the club they want to leave; Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia, won’t be though as they continue to train on their own and away from the first-team squad.
Man Utd vs Leeds Utd: Team news
Exit-linked Andre Onana has been ruled out for United due to a hamstring injury that will see him out of action for the next four weeks which means that Altay Bayindir is expected to start in goal.
New recruit Cunha will be a welcome sight, however, Bruno Fernandes and most of the other players involved in international fixtures at the end of last season haven’t had enough training to feature.
As for Leeds, they have signed a number of new, more experienced players who could all make their debuts. Interestingly, they are all 26 and all over 6ft tall. It would appear as though the 49ers Enterprises group who own Leeds are attempting to minimise risk in their first season back in the Premier League.
Those who have signed are all available, as far as we know with Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Lukas Nmecha all expected to make their debuts in this clash. Daniel Farke knows that the pressure is on and will be hoping for a morale boosting start to their campaign.
Man Utd vs Leeds Utd: How to watch
The first pre-season friendly of the summer is on Saturday the 19th of July in what has become a regular occurrence in modern times, a fixture against a Premier League rival. It will be the only game played in Sweden in Stockholm at the Strawberry arena with a kick-off time of 2pm UK time.
Fans can watch the game live on MUTV but you will have to have a subscription to the club’s official TV channel which will cost £29.99 a year. Follow the link here to see how new boy Cunha gets on.
There won’t be much that will be learned from the game in terms of a United perspective other than the shape of the team, how they set up and the attitude of those picked to play. All of which will need to see a significant improvement on what was seen in 2024/25.